UN chief Ban Ki-moon to lead global campaign for gay rights

UN Secretary-General says ‘culture, tradition or religion’ is no excuse, governments have to protect gay, bisexual and trans people in strongest speech yet on issue.

21st April 2013 06:39

Alessia Valenza

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has promised to lead a global campaign for LGBT rights. And he has told governments around the world that they have a ‘legal duty’ to protect gay and trans people and that ‘culture, tradition or religion’ could not be used as an excuse for failing to do so.

His comments in a video message to the Oslo Conference on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity yesterday (15 April) were not his first remarks on sexual orientation or gender identity – but were the strongest-worded.

The head of the UN has previously called the criminalization of homosexuality ‘an outrage’ inherited from ‘former colonial powers’, saying the laws ‘must go’.Some of the same language is reflected in his address to the Oslo delegates. But perhaps even more significant was the fact Ban told LGBT people ‘I am with you’ and added he was committed to leading a global campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights through the UN.